


Red Fins and the Number Two

by kanekicure



Series: Way Down We Go [3]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Andrew Minyard Loves Neil Josten, Andrew just wants Neil safe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dan's POV, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Family Bonding, Hurt Neil Josten, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kevin Day Needs A Hug, M/M, Protective Andrew Minyard, Shifters, we get the healing!! and Kevin's backstory with Neil's ;)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:20:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29093382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kanekicure/pseuds/kanekicure
Summary: Dan Wymack-Wilds has grown up around merpeople.Her dad's creation of the Foxhole Sanctuary has made that a sure thing, and now Dan has created her own small family of humans, merpeople and people in between.It never occurred to her that the new pair of merfolk would also have their own history with her family as well.-Or, Dan has a dysfunctional family, Andrew hates everyone, and Neil wants out of his kitty pool.
Relationships: Matt Boyd/Danielle "Dan" Wilds, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Series: Way Down We Go [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1998619
Comments: 39
Kudos: 266





	Red Fins and the Number Two

**Author's Note:**

> This the continuation of the last part in the series! You have to read the second part AT LEAST to be able to understand what is going on in here. 
> 
> Few vocab terms
> 
> Amare - Aaron and Andrew's 'species' of merfolk. They are the most humanlike because their colonies are closest to the shore and they live in a very traditional humanistic way. These merfolk are the ones who commonized sending their youths to live among humans and are most common to be interbreeding with humans. Are the ones more myths and legends are about/based off of. 
> 
> The Shifting - The years 12 - 18, is the period of time that merfolk go on land and live as humans to help determine their role in mer society.
> 
> Thats all! Feel free to check out the playlist for this story [here!](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1KgbIM7fIn4ilYSJakBVJx?si=oEdPOhkaQWyGRdpebxML8A)
> 
> ALSO this wasn't beta read so all mistakes are my own! I apologize in advance.

Dan Wymack-Wilds grew up alongside merpeople.

See the thing is, when Dan was adopted by her father at age thirteen, she was brought into a world of brightly coloured tails and beings that lived beneath the ocean’s surface. She met few, but that never mattered, every face of each merfolk was burned into her memory, every brief conversation with a creature that has magic within their very bones could never be erased. 

Her father walked her through the very small grasp humans understood about merpeople. The few people who knew, everyone else called her father a mad man, or an idiot, mocked by the press and countless others but it never phased him because he knew. 

He knew that they lived in the sea, that there were different kinds of merpeople living in different colonies across the world - their tails all different shapes, skin colours flourishing beyond that of just human standards and the deeper you go the less  _ human _ they even appear. 

That to them, the moon and the sea are their Gods - and Dan believes there’s some substance behind the theory. How else does a tail turn into two completely formed, properly working legs? Where does the tail even go? The other scales? The gills? 

_ Magic _ , according to her dad. 

Her father told her that merpeople were the only creatures who still possessed this ‘magic’, existing under the last living gods. And once a few humans realized this, that made them greedy. And  _ that _ was why David Wymack wanted to help merfolk, to give those who fell prey to the natural cruelty of the human race, a second chance. 

Dan thought that her father was a very noble man because of this. 

Which is why she’s still here now, as an adult, working alongside him with plans to take over once her father is forced to retire. She also owes this life for everything she has, a wonderful boyfriend, friends and a home. 

She just hopes everyone else can find the same. She’s worked hard on building her tiny crew. She remembers the day that Allison showed up at her doorstep, gaunt and horrified at what she had seen her parents do. Asking Dan for help, and both Wymack and her went - rescuing three mermaids from being used as circus animals. 

And after that, Allison never left, she just… came back. Then Matt was there, with that sparkle in his eye that any human gets when they see what really is out there in the world. 

Seth came, against his will, but when Wymack told him his community service hours were fulfilled, the bastard had only shrugged - saying he had nowhere else better to be. 

Nicky and Aaron were probably the biggest surprise, especially when Nicky told Wymack that his father was a merman and that his cousin was one too. All the other merpeople that Dan had met had only been in passing, a few days, weeks, however long it took them to heal before they returned home. 

Aaron was different, Aaron became their friend, their partner, sometimes they forgot he  _ wasn’t human,  _ until they caught him sneaking raw fish at midnight, (something he still refuses to confess up to it but the security tapes don’t lie).

But then there was Kevin Day. 

The moment Kevin Day showed up at their doorstep, Dan knew that they were in for it. 

It wasn’t because she was jealous that Kevin was Dad’s biological son, she never doubted her father’s love. But it was the fact that no matter how hard they try, and how much Kevin swears he isn’t like the Ravens, he always falls back into their old ways. 

Kevin is traumatized. Dan doesn’t ignore that fact, but sometimes she wishes that he could take a step back and recognize what he’s doing. To see the way he watches Aaron differently, or the way he so easily jumps at the chance to experiment or tear open the scales they collect on the beach. Dan knows it was because of how he was raised in the Ravens, everyone knows that the Ravens don’t see merfolk as sentient beings but rather animals that need to be studied and observed. To be harvested for their abilities and used to further Man’s future. 

But, it wasn't till Andrew and Neil arrived, that she realized how dark it really went..

Dan’s first impression of the newcomers wasn't… the best. But understandable, she decided, merfolk were largely unstudied - and there had been a very fine line between how  _ human  _ merfolk really were. 

In the end, Dan doesn’t really blame Andrew for trying to rip everyone’s heads off, being placed in his position, she thinks she probably would have done the same. 

It doesn’t mean that she isn’t wary of him though. 

-

The first time Andrew joins them for dinner is a long time coming. Andrew refuses to leave Neil’s side, and even when Aaron threatened to stop bringing food to him, Andrew had only stared blankly back at his brother. 

But Neil was slowly getting better, albeit not enough to return to his human form, but enough for him to convince Andrew to go eat dinner with the Foxes. 

_ “Get to know the enemy,” _ is what Katelyn had told Dan he said. 

Worst was, it seemed Andrew listened to his mate without question and decided to join them for dinner the next night.

He stalks into the dinning room with dark eyes, and even darker clothes. Once Dan had teased Aaron about always wearing grey sweaters that seemingly matched his tail, asked him if it was an instinct thing. Of course, Aaron, like always, told her off in response. And,  _ obviously _ she had been joking, but looking at the black clothes that Andrew wore in return made her wonder if she had had a working theory. 

“Andrew!” She cheers, letting a smile bloom across face, “Are you joining us for dinner?” 

She knows she was too loud when she sees Aaron winces minutely but the other blond only shifts his eyes to her for a moment. Before shrugging and slumping down at the dinner table with a loud screech of his chair. Staring blankly at the plating of food in front of him, fingers drumming on the table beside himself - seemingly unaware or uncaring of the nine pairs of eyes now turned on him.

Dan clears her throat, trying to draw the focus away. Only Matt turns, loyal as ever, and gives her a shaky smile in response -if she was wary of Andrew, Matt was utterly terrified.

“It’s Chinese! You remember Chinese food right Andrew?” Nicky says from his position beside Aaron. Out of anyone, Nicky was the most torn up over Andrew’s reappearance. But whatever was making him cry constantly seems to have passed because his face no longer looks blotchy and discoloured.

Andrew, pauses in his reach for the Chow Mein, a very slight quirk of his lip downward is the only sign of displeasure as he glances over to his cousin.

“Yes, Nicky. I remember what Chinese food is.” He drawls, and Dan jolts at how deep his voice sounds in comparison to Aaron.

Nicky gives a shaky smile, then a thumbs up, before quickly looking back to his own dinner as Andrew begins dishing up. Everyone, slowly and painfully, begins also focusing on their own food instead of gawking at the merman sitting with them.

Aaron is still staring though, lips pressed firmly in a thin line of frustration, or so Dan guesses. Here, in the same lighting, they do pass for twins now. 

The colour difference in their tail apparently had to do with the fact Andrew was raised in a different pod then Aaron and his tail manifested into a darker shade. But without that factor, the twins do need a double take to be able to tell them apart from a far. Both on the edge of rude, but on a completely different spectrum from each other - where Aaron comes across as someone who would purposely fuck up your coffee order, Andrew comes across as someone who would posion it.

Next to her though, Kevin is openly staring, watching every movement Andrew makes and Dan wants to hit him upside the head. She tries to catch her dad’s eyes from across the table but he seems completely engrossed with chowing down on his fried rice. 

And it’s too late either way because Kevin is already opening his big stupid mouth.

“Shouldn’t you be easing into your new diet? Haven’t you been eating raw fish for the past two years?”

Andrew’s eye twitches, “Shouldn’t you be minding your own fucking business?” 

“Woah!” Dad says, finally clicking in with the program, “No asking personal questions right now, let’s just enjoy our food.”

“Personal?” Kevin scoffs, “He wouldn’t answer me if I asked what colour his fucking hair is.” 

Andrew taps his fork to his plate, “No, but I’d probably ask if you had vision issues, too many misfires from that little pistol of yours?” 

“Guys,” Dan scrambles to butt in, “Not right now, okay? Just… let’s eat.”

For a moment, Kevin looks like he’s about to argue but Dad grabs his shoulder in warning and Andrew doesn’t seem to care. Returning back to shovelling food into his mouth as fast as possible. 

So eat they do, no matter how awkward. 

Katelyn starts a tentative conversation with Nicky, and it manages to stay completely clear of any talk of merpeople or the ocean. Dan doesn’t really try to get into it, opting to keep an eye out for their new guest but she figures most of the table is doing that already.

In the end, Andrew finishes quickly, pushing his chair away and standing without a word. He moves like a threat, eyes scanning over everyone, before he makes a quick detour to the fridge. Popping it open, scanning the shelves before grabbing three raw fish Matt had caught earlier in the day. Still ungutted, and Dan almost questions how he knew those were there in the first place before she remembers merfolks sense of smell.

She wrinkles her nose in distaste of the thought of smelling dead fish, always.

“You’re still hungry? Or are you trying to compensate for all the fried food?” Kevin pipes up again and for a moment, Dan swears Andrew’s eyes switch to a burning golden.

But instead he keeps walking towards the door, “Tarpon is Neil’s favorite,” He says, quiet enough that Dan almost misses it but it was there nonetheless. 

Matt perks up at that, “Really? Ask him what else he likes! I’ll use better bait to get them.”

Andrew pauses at the door, looking over at Matt’s suddenly chiper expression. Dan can’t quite figure out what emotion flickers across the rather cold face, but before he leaves, he offers Matt a nod before disappearing out the door. 

Matt is beaming when Dan looks over and she laughs softly, reaching over to squeeze his hand, “I think you’re the only one whose made it into his good books.”

“Nah, he’s just like any other man in love. Gotta keep the mate happy.” Matt teases, dismissing her with a small wave to only come back and kiss her cheek. The joking endearment he uses always makes her blush, so she gently shoves him away, in an attempt to keep her face from burning up. 

Aaron however, isn’t pleased by the conversation, scoffing into his dinner and shaking his head.

“Andrew doesn’t love anything.” He mutters before he too shoves his chair away from the table and storms out of the dining room. Nicky makes an aborted attempt in calling out his name, but it’s no use. 

Dan blinks, wanting to argue but choosing not too once she sees Nicky’s pained expression.

“He’s conflicted,” He tries to explain but no one needs him too. 

Dan knows, everyone knows. Some days Aaron looks like he’s willing to take a bullet for his brother, and others he looks like he wants to be the person shooting him. Andrew doesn’t seem to sway on his stance, the only reason they are here is for Neil to get better - Dan doesn’t even know if he’s spoken to Nicky except for today.

Still, with one side glance to Kevin, she knows she has her own family issues to deal with and this fight isn’t one for her to stick her nose into. 

She has enough family problems already.

-

Dan watches Neil heal from afar, she’s busy, like her father, but also Andrew isn’t very keen on letting many people into the medical lab. She feels bad, setting Neil up in a significantly large kitty pool of all things; but they don’t have many options and this way, Andrew can stay in his human form while laying with Neil at night. 

She rests her head against the glass viewing case adjacent to the room, it was originally made for teaching staff how to properly give medical attention to merpeople since it wasn’t a highly practiced thing in medical school. But there was never enough demand like her father had originally thought - no one bothered to even believe his ‘stories’ of people who could breathe underwater- so, now it had officially become Dan’s hideout. With one couch, a fridge, and a desk; it was everything she needed to continue her study. 

Glancing down, she looks at the text on her phone. 

**_Mattie Bear -_ ** _ Gonna visit the scary merboys!! Wish me luck. _

See - she knows no one is aware of this place, and the two way mirror keeps it completely hidden to prying eyes. The room itself is intrusive and could be used for something more sinister so Dan keeps the large curtains closed when she’s up here. It feels more than wrong to watch the mermen pair while they think they are alone. But today, with Matt on his way, she feels better keeping an eye on him. 

Her loveable idiot has become determined to befriend both Andrew and Neil after their arrival  _ and _ after he got over his initial fear of Andrew. Ever since the night at dinner when Andrew came and had given him that nod in agreement - he’d become consumed with the need to gain both Andrew’s trust and Neil’s befriendal.

Even before the door had opened, both Neil and Andrew snapped to alert. Andrew, who had been resting against the side of the kitty pool, she guessed even he got sick of being soaking wet all the time, turned his attention away from grooming Neil’s scales and Neil poked his head over the side. His gills flaring on his neck for only a moment as the water trickles down his face and onto the tile floor. 

“Matt.” Andrew commented before the doors opened, tension running through his frame but when Neil grumbles something it despates. 

“Hey guys!” Matt says, an inch too loud and pays for that with a low growl from Andrew. Dan would have thought it would be amusing hearing a full grown, completely human appearing, man growl, but after seeing Andrew’s merform, she still feels a twinge of fear in her gut. 

No matter how human they appear, nothing can erase the fact that they just... aren’t. 

“Sorry,” Matt is saying apologetically while placing a large red bucket he had been carrying down. “I just picked up a few things! Or well caught some stuff, so I figured I’d just bring it by and, well, ya know.” 

Over the side of his tank Neil’s nose flares and his large red ears flap open, for a moment she watches a shimmer of colour dance through his scales - yet another thing about Neil that leaves her bewildered. He was completely different from Andrew and Aaron’s large bucky frames and massive fins to look larger than they are.  _ Amare,  _ is what their kind is called, the most humanized of all merfolk and most common. Most notable for the human-like accessories they adore and their ability to adapt a completely human lifestyle in the matter of days. 

Neil, however, came from somewhere else. He was sleak, his dorsal fin less pronounced and fins more angled, he was made for speed and offensive attacks where Andrew was defensive. How they ended up finding each other and getting together was beyond her.

Dan doesn’t have much more time to think about it because Neil is responding to Matt with something spoken in the merfolks mother tongue. 

Andrew jumps in smoothly, tone bored, “Yes, Mola, it’s tarpon.” He easily tells his mate, translating for a clueless Matt and concerned Dan. His hand dipping to rest against the large red tail. “I told Matt that you enjoy it.” 

Neil trills, loudly and says something else that Matt just stares hopelessly at, Dan feels a pang of sympathy as Neil makes another scratchy noise, louder and more pushy, clearly trying to tell the human something.

Andrew again, comes to aid quickly, “He doesn’t understand you Mola, speak English.” 

A deep red flush suddenly blooms across Neil’s cheeks and shoulders, his mouth opens, before snapping closed again, Andrew just waits and Matt stares onward in confusion as Neil repeats the motion a few times.

Quietly though, Neil finds his voice, “Um, I apologize,” he begins, and Dan jolts in surprise at it. The words come out garbled and slightly muffled but that probably has more to do with Neil’s razor sharp canines than it had to do with his ability to speak the language, “I struggle, with erm... switching the languages?”

Immediately, Matt lights back up, “No worries man! I only speak English, so like you are totally beating me there.” 

Neil blinks, “Beating you? I was not insinuating that we fight?”

The merman looks genuinely concerned for a moment as the colour drops from Matt’s face and he sputters to correct himself. His hands waving in front of him as he begins motioning to the bucket beside him in a panic daze.

Andrew either must be annoyed, or take pity on Matt because he shakes his head and pats Neil’s tail. “It’s a figure of speech Mola, you’ll pick them up,” The blond stands, and makes his way to Matt who is still looking like he wants to crawl into a hole, “I’m taking the fish.” 

“Oh?…Or no, I mean! Yes, yes! Take it all, all for you.” Matt slaps his hands on his face and shakes his head, “I’m sorry, I’m being a total idiot.” 

Andrew grunts, either in agreement or dismissal but he carries the bucket to his waiting mate, who is practically crawling out of the tank. 

“Thank you! Thank you Matt!” Neil is saying, reaching a clawed hand in and immediately biting into the raw fish, causing her boyfriend to flinch and look away with a slightly green face.

“O-of course! Anytime! See you soon Neil!” He sputters one last time and watches Neil give him a small wave as he books it out of the room. Dan stands, preparing herself for Matt’s most likely very enthusiastic entrance and reaches over to pull the blinds closed - but she pauses when she hears Neil’s next words.

“I like him,” Neil tells Andrew who hums, shrugging, before sitting back down in his spot. Neil shuffles over, the water sloshing a little as he comes to cuddle behind the other. “Here.”

Andrew glances over, looking at the half eaten fish Neil is offering in hand and Dan herself has to look away when he shrugs and takes it. 

Sometimes she really didn’t get merpeople.

-

The first real conversation Dan has with Neil, is a complicated one. 

The red tailed merman is sprawled out in his kitty pool, laying on the chest of a human Andrew who is seemingly fiddling with a book instead of actually reading it. The bulky mass of Neil’s tail is curled up and around Andrew’s side, while one of Andrew’s hands idly strokes one of the large fins. 

When she finally stops snooping through the glass window of the door and opens it, Andrew’s eyes snap to her razor quick, and all of Neil’s fins stiffen. 

She almost feels sad. She hates the fact that her smell alone puts them on edge and she doesn’t think she’d ever forget the desperate plea of Neil clinging to his unconscious mate in that cave. 

But she doesn’t regret it. Not now, not with Neil in healing.

“Sorry, I was just coming in for the check up on your wounds Neil.” She tries for a smile but doesn’t get one in response from either of the mermen. 

Neil does cock his head slightly in confusion, one of the large ear fans twitching and folding over itself, “Where’s Katelyn or Abby?”

Having Neil address her directly, makes his speech come across much clearer than it had coming through a glass wall, or maybe Andrew and him have been practicing. Either way it takes her by surprise.

“Katelyn is at school and Abby isn’t here tonight. She and Wymack have a date, but don’t tell anyone I told you that.” Dan winks, but Neil’s eyes only furrow in more confusion and Andrew scoffs at her. She sighs, “I’m the next most qualified to do so.” 

_ That  _ makes Andrew speak, “Then we’ll wait for the most qualified to come back,” his tone is a warning, and Dan knows that where this conversation is heading already.

“I’m as qualified as Katelyn is, in fact, I’ve probably had more hands on experiences than her, but she wants to be a doctor for merfolk, so she’s always here instead.” Dan explains, trying her best to look non threatening and Neil’s ears perk up at the mention of Katelyn’s name. 

Dan has to hold back her smile though, when she sees Andrew’s eyes catch the movement and narrow - and honestly, Dan had forgotten how expressive merfolk’s ears could be. Nothing can be funnier than the fact that Andrew’s brother’s girlfriend is currently Neil’s favorite resident.

Still though, Neil doesn’t seem inclined to side with Dan either, and Andrew’s stance definitely hasn’t changed.

“Forgive me for not trusting you.” Andrew bites out, and Dan is ever grateful that he is stuck under a large mass of a merman.

Still, Dan knows it's her fault, she knows that her face was the one behind the trigger of the gun that made them think they were going to lose each other. And Dan might not know a lot about mates, but she does know one thing - 

Never, ever, get between two merfolk mates trying to get to each other. Rule number two in Dad’s scrappy rule book.

She rings her hands out and meets Andrew’s simmering gaze. 

“I’m sorry,” She says, “I’m sorry my crew and I did what we did, I know what it must’ve felt like and I wish I could change it, I really do. Both of you are completely justified in how you feel and your reactions. But,” She clears her throat, “I don’t regret it, and I will never regret it. Because now you both are at the safest possible place you can be, and as far as you can be from the Moriyama’s grasp.”

Neil’s ears snap flat against his head at the mention, but he doesn’t turn away. Andrew’s face doesn’t change, but she spots the way the tension runs out of his shoulders ever so slightly. 

“Neil,” She tries again, “This could very well be your last check up, and we can start working on getting you on your feet again, literally. We want both of you to be a part of our group, until you decide you want to leave.” 

Neil’s ears are still flat against his head, but shifts off of Andrew’s chest slightly. His auburn hair is a frizzled mess as he wraps his hands around the edge of the pool. 

“I know why you did it.” Neil admits quietly, while hauling himself out of the pool, “And I- I’m… I thank you for it.”

Dan in turn feels her heart skip a beat at the confession, one she wasn’t expecting. Andrew too is still watching her quietly, but the hostility is gone. 

“You helped get Andrew out… safe, and allowed us to have more time with each other. For that I am more than grateful.” Neil finishes, finally letting his tail slap loudly onto the ground. 

“It’s what we do,” Is the only thing Dan can say, because it is. It’s all her and her father have stood for.

But her voice tapers off as she becomes slowly immersed in watching Neil situate himself on the floor.

He’s frowning down at the polished tiles below him, and wiggles himself onto his back, dorsal fin pressing flat on the ground- the sight of it is endearing, and nothing like how she had felt watching Andrew claw across the floor of their boat, a week earlier. 

“I do not like this though.” He says once he’s belly up on the floor, blinking up at Andrew who stares down at him. “So if we could do it quickly?”

Dan doesn’t hesitate, nodding and grabbing her kit to come move over to where Andrew was now sitting next to Neil’s head. Jogging pants soaked, but he doesn’t seem to care, watching Dan’s hands as she gently reaches down to the white bandages and peels it back. 

The wound is completely closed, merfolk healing still took her breath away when she saw it in action, but still, there was a jagged scar in place. Dan reaches a single finger out to feel the texture of it, making Neil flinch slightly and Andrew to growl on instinct, but in the end she finds nothing of concern. 

“There is a scar, but it’s healed.” She tells them, smiling lightly, “I’m giving you the pass to shift now.” 

“That is it?” Neil asks, surprised, “Katelyn takes longer, are you sure you understand what you are doing?”

Dan tries not to laugh, “Yes, Neil. They did most of the healing as did your body, I’m making sure it’s just a scar and not a wound.”

“A scar is nothing new,” Neil mumbles, hoisting himself up on his elbows to look down at the expanse of his torso. Dan hadn’t commented on the warscape of the merman’s body, but everyone else already had, except for also Kevin - which stayed the quietest of them all.

Andrew hums in agreement, eyeing the wound but seems satisfied with what he sees too. “Abby said he would have to stay in human form for a while to make up for all of the years he hasn’t shifted, is that true?” he asks, turning his gaze to her.

Dan blinks, “That depends on how long he’s been in this form for.” 

Devoid of humour, Neil scoffs, “How about ten years? And for, I do not know, around three minutes for each shift before.” 

Quickly doing the math in her head, Dan comes up with a conclusion she doesn’t like. Frowning, she looks down to the other, “But, you are so well acquainted with human mannerism, you speak English almost flawlessly.” 

Neil shifts uncomfortably, “I had time to watch,” is all he says, voice suddenly quiet again and Dan doesn’t push. She’s crossed an invisible line somewhere here, watching as the merman starts to shrink on himself.

“Then yes, from what we’ve gathered from -” She hesitates, but decides to push on anyways, “-from Aaron. It can affect your general bone structure in both forms, that’s why when Merfolk lose their ability to shift back, their mobility in human form ages much faster too. You need to give both forms a chance to breathe.”    
  


“I know,” Neil whispers, blue eyes getting glassy and farther away, a small shutter racking across his body. 

Dan also knows about Neil’s panic attacks.

Andrew is quick to move, hand curling around the back of his mate’s neck and a quick glare sent her way has her pushing herself to her feet. She doesn’t know Neil’s past and only bits of Andrew’s, but clearly there is something darker here and she doesn’t like the theories her mind supplies. 

_ How else does a merman who has never left the water get surgical scars across their bodies. _

“I’ll go, I’m going. Just... shift when you can, okay?” 

“He knows,” Andrew growls from the floor, as a shaky breath slips past Neil’s lips. “Get out.” 

Dan does. 

-

After that conversation, Dan can’t settle. 

She paces her room, she ignores Matt’s texts and she almost opens the curtains to her study area to see if she can gage anything else from the couple just on the other wall.

Neil still hasn’t shifted yet. Aaron won’t say anything on the logistics of it when they ask, if it’s about his brother’s mate, he shuts down. Andrew won’t let anyone in the room at all now and no matter how many times Matt or Katelyn tell her that it isn’t her fault she can’t help but feel guilty. 

Kevin is also missing, which is weird. 

When Dan makes her way into the laboratory where they keep the majority of their findings or lose collections of scales, she finds it empty. Which is weird since Kevin can’t stop with his obsession of merfolk even if it was life or death - Dad explained that to Kevin, the research was life or death. 

Maybe Dan still didn’t quite understand how far that stretched. 

The breaking point happens at midnight.

She’s laying in bed alone, when she hears something from above her room. Usually she would ignore it, but she knows Kevin has made the spare room his bedroom and that if he hasn’t been in the lab downstairs - then maybe he brought it up with him.

Still, it doesn’t warrant her going and snooping, she should be happy if Kevin is trying to do something else for a change. 

Rolling over in her bed she tries to will herself to go back to sleep but then she suddenly hears a shout of surprise and the sound of something scattering across the floor above her and she’s flying out of her bed and sprinting for the stairs.

Maybe Kevin was hurt, maybe he dropped something, maybe she’s just paranoid but-

_ Scars, surgical scars and Kevin’s cynical eyes. Neil hates tile floors. Andrew’s anger.  _

She makes it to Kevin’s door but it’s already open, still swaying slightly as if someone had just bolted from it. 

She moves in, and it only takes her a moment before she sees it. 

Glistening on the floor, catching only the faint flares of golden light from the lamp on the wooden desk, countless ones, big and small, and all blood red. 

Neil’s scales. She drops to the floor and picks one up in her hands, staring at the smooth curve and damaged edges - there’s no way Kevin could have gotten these off of Neil’s body, not with Andrew so close. So that means he would have had to be collecting them, on the boat, in the trash after Katelyn left from her check up and cleaned the table. 

Swallowing down a sickening feeling, she glances over to the notebook that lays face down on the ground. With trembling hands she reaches over and flips it, and when she sees it, she almost truly vomits.

Bold and frantic letters at the top of the page, underlined in black ink. The text that follows only confirms her worst fears.

**Neil = Nathaniel Wesninski (subject 03)???????**

**_Redtail, red scales. Scarring pattern familiar but not exact._ **

**_Assumed dead - survived by joining the Hunt? Or pod._ **

**_Mated? Male same sex mates have not been properly studied but common themes of female same sex pairings in past studies w/ Sirens. Possible. Nathaniel showed no signs of wanting to court but could have been too young?_ **

**_Nathan’s old fin pattern has been observed and has similar qualities._ **

**_(Subject 00, MARY confirmed deceased)_ **

**_(Nathan Wesninski still @ Evermore with study - no possible shifts without subject (03) possible motive for Ravens to attack Neil and Andrew)_ **

**_Doing bio testing on scales for confirmation, may take time to locate undamaged print._ **

But, it’s the photo at the bottom of the page that makes her heart freeze and a hand raise to cover her mouth in horror.

She had never seen a child merfolk before, Dad said it was because the young were always the most protected in the Colonies. They never came close to the surface until it was time for their Shift, but it was never difficult for Dan to imagine what a child merfolk would look like. 

And there one was- Neil, or so she assumed. He didn’t look older than six in the photo, strapped to a metal table with his eyes sealed shut, Dan hoped he had been unconscious. His tail appeared much darker than it does now, so small and fragile and held down by a metal bar cuff that dug into the sides. Fins limp at his side, scales on his body barely formed or maybe they had just been pulled off. But the worst was the freshly stitched wounds across his chest. 

_ You knew, you knew, you already knew.  _

“Oh god,” Dan whispered, eyes landing on the last note Kevin left. 

**Photo taken by Kevin Day at age nine, lesson 02 with Tetsuji. Raven property.**

Dropping the book, Dan sprinted out of the room, her heart pounding in her chest because if Kevin had finally found a scale that wasn’t damaged and had completely his bio sample then who knows what he was doing now.

_ He wouldn’t give Neil in right? He wouldn’t, he couldn’t. Could he? _

She couldn’t move fast enough, her plan was to get to Neil first and then go from there. Whether it was to protect him or protect Kevin from getting his head ripped clean from his body, Dan didn’t know. All she knew was she couldn’t move fast enough. 

When she makes it onto the medical lab’s floor, she can already hear it.

The sound of Andrew’s shouts and Neil’s broken snarls. She rounds the corner of the hall and bursts through the medical doors, she finds Kevin already sprawled across the floor with Andrew on top of him. Gold eyes ablaze in the blackened room, canines extended from his mouth and claws extracted from his fingertips. 

Kevin is shouting nonsense, waving something in his hand, and Neil has curled into a ball on the ground, eyes wide with fear that snap immediately to Dan as she comes skittering to a stop. 

“Why do you have one of them?” Neil whispers in horror, and something snaps in her heart.

“Neil I-” She starts but Kevin is still yelling and Andrew snarls louder.

“Nathaniel!” Kevin gasps from under Andrew’s tightening grip, “Nathaniel, it’s me! I don’t- I thought you were dead, everyone thought you were dead!” 

Neil whimpers, curling in on himself more. He seems conflicted between lashing out to protect Andrew, or getting as far away as possible from Kevin. Each word to him is like a physical blow that only cripples his body more as he heaves through what she can only imagine is another panic attack.

She makes an aborted attempt to move for him but Neil flinches so loudly at her footsteps she falls short.

“Where did you get that name?” Andrew snarls from above, still ignoring Dan’s presence in the room completely, “Who are you?” 

“I- we, Nathaniel and I, we grew up together. In the nest.” Kevin gasps, Andrew’s snarl worsens and Dan jumps forward.

Gold eyes snap to her, “Any closer human and he’s dead, I do not take lightly to people who take in  _ Raven’s.”  _

“He left!” Dan yells, “He left, and came to us. I don’t know what’s going on, but I promise you, killing Kevin won’t do anything.” 

Andrew’s grip doesn’t loosen, but his gaze snaps to Neil who is pulling himself back together. Something passes between them, as Neil grips the floor with sharp claws.

“Why are you here.” Neil’s voice is meek, English already broken up enough, “What do you even want.”

Kevin’s eyes squeeze shut, “I’m sorry Nathaniel,” He cries, shaking his fist, “I’m so sorry, I- she wanted you to have this but I thought you died but then - the call came in and I had to be sure.” 

“ _Who_?” Neil’s voice cracks, “Who is she?”

“Your mother! Nathaniel, please just-” Weakly Kevin tries to toss whatever is in his hand out and over to Neil. For a moment Andrew growls and tries to stop it but Neil is scampering across the floor and picking the item into his shaking claws.

A broken noise leaves the merman as he collapses over it, his body turning into heaving breaths and a distressed noise leaves Andrew. Clearly not knowing what to do and for a moment, a horrific moment, it looks like Andrew is just going to kill Kevin, but then Neil speaks again through quiet sobs.

“Mate, let him go.” 

Andrew hesitates, but in the end he does step back when Neil calls his name again.

Golden eyes dying out, and claws retracting back under his skin as he goes to stand over Neil’s form. Dan staggers forward and grabs onto Kevin’s shoulder, trying to pull him back but he only waves his hand in her face. 

“I’m fine,” he croaks, his other hand coming to cup his neck that is already beginning to bruise, “It’s my fault.”

On the ground in front of them, Neil looks up again, hands still cupping the item tightly as Andrew grasps onto his shoulders to keep him steady, “How did you get this?” 

“Your mother,” Kevin says, eyes shifting downwards, “She didn’t want all of her to waste away, she had more faith than I did that you managed to escape so she- she gave me that. For when I found you.” 

Neil glances back down, a shaky fingering brushing along it and Dan gets a soft glint of quiet orange. “You were looking?” 

“Not as hard as I should have been, it still took me a few more years to really see it but- your mom was the biggest tipping point. So, I’m sorry Nathani-”

“ _ Neil _ .” Andrew growls, and Kevin winces before nodding. 

“Neil, right, sorry, I’m sorry I couldn’t do more. And I’m sorry I didn’t give you it sooner, I just had to be sure, you look so different now - you uh, really grew into your scales.” 

Small red ears perk up slightly at that as Neil nods, before he motions to Andrew, offering him his arm, “Help me.” 

Dan watches as Andrew carefully picks up the orange item in Neil’s grasp and begins to tie it around Neil’s wrist. 

It’s a scale, small and delicate, but a scale coloured in a soft orange. 

His mother’s, Dan realizes, and she has to bite back the tears that come to her eyes.

“It still smells like her,” Neil says quietly before looking back to Kevin, “Thank you.” 

“It’s the least I could do.” Kevin confesses, “After everything.”

Neil shakes his head, “You read to me, outside my tank, made me learn English fast.”

Kevin blinks, as if surprised by the memory but he manages a shaky grin as he slowly clambers to his feet, Dan stays behind to help him up and takes his weight. “You were a good reading partner.”

“I’m not sorry for almost killing you,” Andrew snaps from the floor, still eyeing the black haired man carefully. “I’ll do it again if you come busting in here like that, same goes for you too.” Andrew finishes, eyes snapping over to Dan. 

“Understood.” Kevin mumbles, ducking his head and letting Dan lead him away. 

At the door, she pushes him through before turning back to the two mermen still crouched on the floor. Neil is staring at the small scale around his wrist again, and Andrew stays at his back quietly.

“It won’t replace yours, ‘Drew don’t worry.” Neil whispers, and Andrew just shakes his head before pulling the other closer to him. 

Dan wants to say something else, to apologize, to ask if they’re alright, but Kevin comes and grabs her wrist. His face is blotchy, as if he’s been holding back his own tears and Dan lets him pull her out of the room.

She’ll talk to the mermen later, now she has her own family to take care of.

-

It was dinner time the next day when their group became a little bigger officially. 

Kevin is sitting next to her, head bowed into some research book he refuses to put down, even though everyone was eating and no one cared enough to fight him about it.

Dan was almost angry at herself for thinking the worst of Kevin last night, that she should have known better, and when Kevin broke down on her shoulder that night - told her a small selection of demons that haunt him, she felt like she finally understood her brother a bit more. 

She guesses that’s why she can’t blame herself, she never really knew Kevin - arguably, she probably still doesn’t. But she wants to. And she thinks Kevin wants to know her too now.

So she lets him read, because he’ll probably babble about merfolk and piss Aaron off otherwise, so it works well.

She thinks her family works well together.

Matt is on her left, piling his plate high with spaghetti, Dad mirrors him. Allison is talking to Katelyn and Nicky who are arguing about some show they are all watching. Even Aaron is leaning into the conversation, muttering a few of his own remarks and blushing when Katelyn looks up at him and beams. 

It’s endearing. 

Suddenly, Aaron falters in the conversation though, eyebrows drawing together in confusion as his head whips around to look at the door.

Then Andrew bursts in, wearing black jeans, a blacker hoodie, and he isn’t alone this time. 

Hanging onto Andrew like kola is a slightly taller, lean, auburn haired man. 

Neil comes staggering forward on shaking legs, like a newborn fawn, dressed in baggy sweatpants and a black hoodie that looks suspiciously like Andrew’s old one. Who is currently still clutching onto Neil’s side to keep him up properly, he moves easily with the stumbling man, the muscles in his arms barely flecking to carry the additional weight. Here, in Neil’s human form, Dan can see the shaky unsure smile spreading across the hesitant mouth, he’s cuter like this, face splashed with freckles and the messy auburn hair, still a mop on his head. There’s also two large scars stretching across his face, Dan guesses she never noticed them before with the large floppy ears and everything else. 

The table goes silent, distantly she hears the sound of Matt dropping his fork beside her. 

A low growl comes from Andrew’s chest as Neil freezes - wide baby blue eyes staring at the group before him. 

“Neil!” Nicky shouts, too loud judging by the full body flinch Neil has, but Andrew is there to catch him and steer him back to the table. 

“Come on, Mola.” He murmurs, ignoring a wincing Nicky who has folded back into himself. Pulling the chair out, Andrew guides Neil down to sit, before sitting next to him himself.

“It’s nice for you to join us,” Dan says, making sure to plaster on a gentle smile. “How are you feeling Neil?”

Across from her, Neil swallows loudly, fingers splayed out awkwardly on the table, as if he wasn’t quite sure how to move them without the webbing between. 

“Uh, good,” He manages, “I am good, thank you.” 

Katelyn smiles sweetly, “We’re all very happy to have you with us now, Neil.” 

**Author's Note:**

> If anything isn't clear, don't hesitate to ask! Next piece will be in a more familiar POV but let me know how everyone feels about the outsider POV's. 
> 
> Next installment will be about Neil getting used to being human! It's honestly why I began this story to begin with. 
> 
> For anyone else who cares, I have a twitter where I post most of my fanarts, and that includes a large amount of mer art works! So you can find me [here!](https://twitter.com/kanekicure)
> 
> See you all soon! All kudos and comments are very much appreciated :)


End file.
